“When Lionel Messi Was Winning Games in La Liga, Nobody Criticized the Competitions”- USMNT Legend Dismisses ‘Unfair’ MLS Critics

MLS has been getting attention like never before. America’s premier soccer tournament was known to attract a few superstars during the later stages of their careers. Since Lionel Messi’s arrival, there has been a complete switch in its reputation. But, the MLS has also been accused of not having similar standards to some other leagues. However, this did not go well with the former USMNT icon, who brought in a major point that questions all the league’s critics.

Alexi Lalas has felt that people using Messi’s performances as a referendum to criticize MLS is ‘exhausting’. Speaking on his Alexi Lalas’ State of the Union Podcast, he said, “When Messi was regularly winning games and breaking ankles and creating highlights, and taking souls over there in La Liga, Ligue 1, Champions League, or, by the way, winning the World Cup. Nobody used that success and his consistency to criticize the competitions that he was playing in,” reiterating that he had similar performances wherever he played.

It’s evident how dominating Leo has been. The Argentine captain has already scored 10 goals and provided 9 assists in just 8 games. Moreover, Messi is not at his physical best, suffering a couple of injuries after arriving in the States. He was ruled out for most of the MLS games last year with a scar tissue injury in his hamstring, followed by a hamstring issue recently in March.

However, it’s not just MLS Messi held a grip on earlier. Messi is the second-highest goal-scorer in the world and Spanish La Liga’s all-time top scorer with 474 goals. But his performances in Ligue Un did not match the expectations of his fans. With just 22 goals in two years, people consider them to be mediocre, despite him winning the two titles. Nevertheless, the 8-time Ballon d’Or winner will be content if he sees similar results in the United States.

Alexi Lalas unsure of Lionel Messi taking Inter Miami to glory

This could be the best chance for David Beckham’s club to secure the MLS title. With Messi in decent form and the team leading the Eastern Conference, one would back them. However, Lalas feels that Lionel Messi’s stellar play may or may not win Inter Miami any trophy this season. He further stated, “This season is going to be fascinating. And just because he is dominating right now, doesn’t mean that Inter Miami necessarily is going to win anything.”

Additionally, Inter Miami’s skipper will miss some fixtures this season with the Copa America string in June. The Herons will look up to Luis Suarez and other stars to keep them in contention. Anyway, the task isn’t going to be easy, as Inter Miami can be put under pressure without Messi. The team won just a single game in his absence until now and lost just one when he played this season. But with the World Cup winner motivated to win trophies, Miami will undoubtedly sniff a chance.